Cliffs near Pourville 1882

"Cliffs near Pourville" is a landscape painting by Claude Monet, an artist deeply engaged with capturing the fleeting effects of light and atmosphere. Monet painted in a period when the aristocracy was slowly losing economic and political control. Notice how Monet challenges traditional landscape painting, focusing on light and color rather than idealized forms, reflecting the changing social and economic structures of the time. The colors used are reminiscent of the French flag, with the whites, blues, and reds interwoven throughout the artwork. Monet lived through the Franco-Prussian War, a period when French national identity was fraught. Monet captures the immediacy of nature, asking us to reconsider our relationship with the world around us and the society we live in, while also emphasizing the emotional, subjective, and personal experience of viewing the landscape.